Sweet
by Almandine-Azaleea
Summary: There are somethings Inuyasha just can't understand.


**Disclaimer: Inuyasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi and I'm not her. **

* * *

**Sweet**

* * *

"For me? Aww…thank you Shippo. You're so sweet." Kagome cooed over the kit and his drawing while he glowed with pride. He had made something for Kagome and she had liked it! "I will put this up in my room next time I'm at home." She beamed.

Inuyasha's ears swivelled madly for a moment. He didn't understand.

* * *

"He did?" The girl's voice rang shrilly. "Aw! That's so _sweet_!!!"

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the word.

"I know!" The girl towards whom the first comment had been addressed answered, in just as squeaky-a voice.

"You're really lucky, Yuka!"

Another squeal grated on his sensitive ears.

"I couldn't believe he'd remember something like that! I mean, guys and anniversaries!" She paused for a moment. "He was so _sweet_, though! He took me to dinner and then we just walked and walked on the beach and then he gave me this." The last part was whispered conspiratorially. Inuyasha was really curious to see what 'this' was, but he knew he couldn't very well leave his spot.

"Oh, if only I had someone like that!" The other girl – Eri, Inuyasha remembered – exclaimed.

"Well…what if you end up with someone like Kagome's boyfriend?" The third one asked and he gritted his teeth. Ayumi was painfully direct sometimes.

"He's so mean, and he cheats and I bet you he never gives Kagome presents!"

"Yeah…" The other girls responded in unison.

"Poor Kagome!" Yuka sniffed. "If only she'd go out with Hojo! He'd treat her like she deserves." Inuyasha's heart clenched.

"Well…I think…there must be something in her boyfriend…otherwise she wouldn't stick up or by him like she does." The girls nodded thoughtfully.

"Hojo_is_ a really sweet boy, though! So genuine! And he obviously likes Kagome. I wish she'd make up her mind."

"Eri!"

"Well…she shouldn't just lead him on!"

"She doesn't. We do, remember? We're the ones who set them up on dates." Yuka piped up. "In fact, Kagome is usually running after that violent, two-timing boyfriend of hers."

"You have to admit he's easy on the eyes." The girls hummed in unison and Inuyasha blushed brightly, suddenly very glad for his hideout.

"Who knows? Maybe Kagome really is happy with him."

Exclamations of disbelief escaped the mouths of the other two girls and Inuyasha cringed.

"Oh well…" Ayumi sighed. "At least he's hot."

* * *

Inuyasha had never been so glad to see Kagome before! Perhaps it was the confusion he had been stewing in for weeks; perhaps it was the lack-of-self-confidence attack he was suffering from currently. All he knew was part of him wanted to just run to her and beg her on crooked knee to not leave him for being so awful. The other part was sputtering off madly about pride and whatnot, punctuating its sentences with the occasional 'keh' and 'wench'. They walked comfortably most of the way, with Kagome spouting episodes from her day to him. He liked the chatter – it kept the focus of him.

"…so sweet and…"

His ears twitched rapidly.

"What?"

"I said he was so sweet and…were you listening?"

"Keh!"

She sighed.

"Her little brother, who's about four or so, forgot her birthday so after school he came to our school walked into the classroom…" She paused then smiled brightly. "He had brought pudding from the cafeteria at his school and when the teacher asked who he was looking for he said: 'She's my bestest sister in the whole world and…I wanted to give her her birthday present." She grinned recalling the wee lad. "He was so _sweet_!"

Inuyasha face-faulted.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked worriedly.

He just stared ahead desperately trying to understand the concept of 'sweet'.

"Inuyasha, you haven't spoken at all since this afternoon. Is everything alright?" He nodded abruptly.

"Did you want to hurry back to the other side or did you want to stay for dinner?"

"You can stay." He mumbled much too busy with pondering his lack of 'sweet' and lack of knowledge at how to gain it.

"You sure you're okay?"

He just nodded then stole away to the Goshinboku leaving a baffled and very worried Kagome, behind.

* * *

Of all the things to want to deal with, Kouga was ranked quite low on Kagome's list – _slightly_ above Naraku, in fact. She had a headache, her legs were aching and she was worried about Inuyasha. A word-sparring with Kouga would not help.

"I see you're taking acceptable care of my woman." He bellowed and sidled up to her, grasping her hands. Inuyasha was furious.

"Look, Kouga-kun…it's not a good time…" She began slowly.

"Get yer paws of Kagome, mangy wolf!" Inuyasha spit out moving closer.

Kagome didn't want to sit him. She knew he'd never open up about what was bothering him if she did.

"Kouga-kun…I…"

"I just saw these and I thought of your lovely eyes, my beautiful Kagome." He spoke sweetly handing her a bouquet of bluebells. Her eye twitched despite herself.

"Th-thank you…Kouga-kun. It's very sweet of you to…"

She stopped seeing Inuyasha's stance change. His sword was brought back down and a look of horrified understanding had dawned in his eyes.

"Is…this what 'sweet' is?" His hushed voice broke her heart; but, before she had any time to think about his question, he disappeared into the woods.

"Dog finally snapped loose." Kouga huffed.

"Kouga-kun…" Sometimes Kagome hated being so inherently nice.

He wiped his nose briefly before looking at her guiltily.

"Guess you'll be wantin' to go talk to the dog then?"

She nodded.

"Ah, until next time! Farewell, my Kagome."

She didn't stay to watch him disappear and instead ran after Inuyasha.

The small bouquet of bluebells lay forgotten on the ground.

* * *

"Inuyasha!!!" She ran faster cursing his speed. "Where are you?! Inuyasha! We need to talk!" Her voice was going raw. "Inuyasha! Don't make me say it!" She didn't want to. She really didn't.

_Please, don't make me say it!_

"Inuy-…"

She reproached herself for not guessing that he would naturally head for the Goshinboku – it _was_ his favourite tree, after all (despite all logic). She really didn't understand why he liked the tree to which he'd been pinned for fifty years, but this was no time to ponder that. There was a tell-tale spot of red high up in the branches.

"There you are!" She exclaimed, relieved. "Come down, please? We need to talk." He made no signs of having heard her.

"Inuyasha, please? I really don't want to use the spell. Please?"

She saw him move reluctantly and in a few graceful moves he was on the ground beside her.

"Inuyasha…please, what's been bothering you? You've been all strange lately." He turned away. "Please, tell me!"

For a while the swishing of leaves from the Goshinboku was the only sound the glade heard.

"Kagome…" He said suddenly. "What does it mean…to be 'sweet'?"

Her heart leapt.

"Is this what you've been worried about?"

He didn't nod but the spreading blush told her it was so.

"Sit down with me, Inuyasha." She offered him a smile. "Someone being sweet…it's hard to explain. It can be all sorts of things."

"But what makes it sweet?" He asked curiously.

Kagome thought for a moment.

"It's like…umm…like…when someone does something for you, unexpectedly and very kindly…but…not always." She paused. "Like…when Souta first drew a portrait of me." A smile touched her face at the memory. "He worked on it for a whole week and gave it to me on my birthday and…never mind that it looked like an evil balloon with black wires popping out of it or that he called me 'sea-gull'…" Inuyasha couldn't help a snicker. "…because I knew he put all his heart into it and that's what meant the most. That's what made it sweet."

"So…if someone draws you a picture…?" He was confused. "But…your friends said something about an anniversary and men…"

Kagome giggled.

"Her boyfriend surprised her. He took her to dinner, bought her flowers, and a very lovely necklace. She was shocked he remembered."

"Remembered?"

"Yeah, two years since they're together."

"It's more than three years since we've been together, I didn't forget about that. What's so special?"

"No, Inuyasha…I don't mean since they've met. I meant since they started dating."

Heat suffused Inuyasha's face at realizing what he'd just said.

"It's okay."

"So Kouga's sweet now?"

Kagome laughed.

"What could I say? You know me…and he _did_ get me flowers, even if they were bluebells." She rolled her eyes. "I don't know _where_ he got the idea that my eyes were that blue."

"They're not. They're like a dusky sky…" He shut up abruptly, surprised at sensing her blush.

"Thank you."

So…he, himself, wasn't sweet? The thought made him sad somehow.

"Can half-breeds be sweet?" He questioned, not realizing he'd spoken aloud.

"Hmm…I don't know about half-_demons_." Her response startled him. "Well…Jinenji was an absolute dear, as was Shiori, yes. Jinenji was particularly sweet helping us out and all."

Inuyasha sunk further into self-deprecating thoughts.

"But…you know…being sweet isn't about giving gifts. It's about heart."

He cocked his head.

"I didn't appreciate Souta's picture because it was brilliant, but because he'd put his heart in it. Same thing with Shippo, and Yuka and her boyfriend. Yuka was happy that he'd remembered, that his heart was still with her."

Inuyasha looked away.

"Is…Hojo really such a sweet boy? Your friends said…"

Kagome smiled.

"Hojo is a very sweet guy, yes."

"I see. So…are there ever girls who are sweet?" He didn't want to think about Hojo! He didn't! Kagome's friends had been right: Hojo would be better for Kagome. The thought made his blood boil as much as it chilled.

"Of course! Most of the time. That's why it hardly gets mentioned. It's _sweet_ that Yuka always calls us at midnight on our birthdays just to make sure we start the day of well, and it's _sweet_ of Ayumi to bake our favourite cookies every time we go visit her, and it's_sweet_ of all my friends to come visit me even though I hardly even talk to them anymore…" The wistfulness that crept in her voice pierced through him. Kagome was so unhappy with him. A half-breed! How could he have ever thought she would be content with him?

"It's just that…well…how many guys would openly call a girl 'sweet'? That's why you mainly hear it spoken by girls to girls about boys."

He nodded absently.

"Inuyasha…something is bothering you."

"It's just…never mind." She didn't have to know about a half-blood's whelp silly worries.

Suddenly he felt Kagome's lips on his cheek.

"Hojo is a sweet guy…" She giggled. "But you…you're by far the sweetest."

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**Author's Note: Yes, overload of sugar and fluff!!! I needed that. A few notes: the word for bluebell in Japanese is Kikyo (yes, like the priestess) hence Kagome's reaction. When she says her brother wrote her name as "seagull" again, it's assuming Japanese is the base language. The word for "seagull" is kamome - a word which is one syllable away from Kagome's name and similar in the way it is spoken so, quite easy to mistake the two.**

**Do let me know if you have any other questions regarding this or any other of my stories. Sweetness to all!**


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